Franklin County's "County Conference" Model for Negotiating Adoption Assistance
Suppose you are attempting to negotiate an adoption assistance agreement and you are not getting anywhere. In a prior post, I suggested that you might be dealing with an intermediary who reports to the actual decision makers, a superior higher up the food chain, or an internal agency committee. If you think that is the case, I further suggested, before requesting mediation, you request a meeting with an agency decision maker who has the authority to negotiate an adoption assistance agreement. See “A New Series on the Negotiation of Adoption Assistance in Ohio, Part 6”
Franklin County Children Services’ “County Conference” Should Stand as a Model for Ohio
When adopting parents request a meeting with a decision maker at Franklin County Children Services, the agency arranges a “county conference.” At a recent meeting an executive staff met with the parents and encouraged them so discuss their children’s needs and their family circumstances in considerable detail. Instead of an interrogation, the staff listened respectfully and asked informed questions. The entire session focused on eliciting the parents’ most important reasons for requesting adoption assistance.
The meeting ended with Franklin County promising to respond promptly to the parents’ presentation. along with a request for some additional follow-up information. All in all the meeting reflected the procedures and practices anticipated in federal and state policy, including
An extensive and respectful dialogue.
A good faith effort to listen and to gather information.
A comprehensive consideration of the children’s needs and the adjustments to the family circumstances necessary meet those needs.
Franklin County’s “county conference” approach to the negotiation of adoption assistance should stand as model for the rest of the Ohio. As a model, it does not guarantee that the parents and agency will propose the same amount of adoption assistance. The agency’s good faith attempt to put federal and state criteria for negotiation into practice, however, makes it more likely that the parties will reach a satisfactory agreement.
I urge any parents who are having difficulty negotiating adoption assistance with Franklin County to request a county conference with agency decision makers.